Surgeon - Muggerscum Out Remixes

Surgeon - Muggerscum Out Remixes
There are some tracks which are simply worth being revived—or perhaps necro-remixed—as Soma has proven with these first-time reworks of Anthony Child's 1996 track. The initial two remixes come from long-running project The Black Dog. "Sheffield Muggerscum Out" keeps the original's searing hook and basic structure, but substitutes the percussion with something a little more post-millenial. That is to say, smaller kick drums and cleaner hi-hats. Perhaps realising that this make-over was purely cosmetic, the group also offer "Moseley Muggerscum Out," a rather tangential take. It's an interesting one, too. Only the original's programming has been retained; the order of the notes has been re-used rather than the actual sounds themselves. This time a stabby, urgent synth provides the track's guts.

With his remix, Alex Smoke spools the original hook out in a more continuous fashion. It doesn't have the sheer brutality of the others, but Smoke makes up for it via his characteristically detailed sound. A morbid, droning bassline underpins the proceedings, with piercing snares and claps placed on top. Last, Perc's savage broken beat take is instantly recognisable as his work; an impressive accolade. Central to this is a sickening swooping, which ups the ante each time things threaten to get monotonous. Despite The Black Dog's cosmetic remix, it also feels truest to the spirit of the original; innovative and unforgiving.